USC Trojans vs Rutgers Scarlet Knights Prediction, 2/23/2025 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: USC Trojans vs Rutgers Scarlet Knights

Date: Sunday, February 23, 2025

Location: Jersey Mike’s Arena in Lincoln, NE

TV: FS1

Jersey Mike’s Arena is where the Rutgers Scarlet Knights (13-14) will take on the USC Trojans (14-12) on Sunday.

The USC Trojans played Maryland and took a loss by a score of 88-71 in their last contest. Concerning fouls, the Trojans finished with 16 and Maryland accumulated 9 fouls. They buried 8 of their 20 shots from beyond the arc. Maryland finished the game shooting 85.7% when shooting free throws by burying 18 of 21 shots. Moreover, Maryland grabbed 40 rebounds (8 offensive, 32 defensive), but finished the game with no rejections. Maryland recorded 14 assists and had 8 steals in the game. In the matter of the defense, USC allowed the other team to shoot 49.2% from the field on 31 of 63 shooting. They also distributed 13 assists in the game in addition to forcing the opposition into 9 turnovers and getting 7 steals. Pertaining to hauling in boards, they compiled 24 with 2 of them being offensive. At the charity stripe, the Trojans made 6 of their 8 attempts for a rate of 75.0%. USC ended with a 46.0% FG percentage (29 out of 63) and converted 7 of their 22 shots from beyond the arc.

Wesley Yates III is one player who was a major factor for the contest. He totaled 21 points on 9 out of 17 shooting. He played for 37 minutes and collected 2 rebounds. He finished shooting 52.9% from the field and also totaled 1 assist.

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USC will enter this contest with a record of 14-12 so far this year. They average 76.4 points per game (117th in the nation) while shooting 48.2% from the floor. The Trojans are shooting 36.1% on three-point attempts (180 of 498) and 73.2% from the charity stripe. As a unit, USC is grabbing 31.3 boards per game and has earned 404 dimes so far this year, which has them ranked 93rd in the nation in terms of passing the rock. They turn the ball over 11.6 times per contest and as a group they are committing 18.1 personal fouls per contest.

When they are on the defensive end, the Trojans are forcing their opponents into 12.3 turnovers every game while drawing 18.3 fouls. They give up 31.2% on 3-pointers and they are 240th in D-1 in points per game allowed (73.5). The Trojans defense is giving up a shooting percentage of 45.0% (668 of 1,486) and they surrender 32.9 boards per game as a squad. They are 264th in college in giving up assists with 379 relinquished on the year.

In their last game, the Rutgers Scarlet Knights walked away with a victory by a final of 89-85 against Washington. When it comes to attacking the glass, Rutgers permitted Washington to pull down 31 overall (10 on the offensive side). They finished shooting 47.1% from distance by going 8 out of 17 and walked away from this one shooting 9 of 15 from the charity stripe (60.0%). The Scarlet Knights permitted Washington to convert 34 of 65 tries from the field which had them shooting 52.3% for this game. When the game finished, the Scarlet Knights ended up shooting 27 out of 57 from the field which gave them a shooting percentage of 47.4%. Pertaining to shots from beyond the arc, Rutgers made 9 out of their 19 attempts (47.4%). They were able to make 26 of the free throw tries for a rate of 70.3%. Washington committed 27 personal fouls for this contest which took the Scarlet Knights to the free throw line for 37 shots. They also gave up possession of the ball 12 times, while getting 9 steals in the game. The Scarlet Knights corralled 24 defensive rebounds and 7 offensive boards totaling 31 for the game.

Dylan Harper was important for the Scarlet Knights for this game. He totaled 34 points in his 41 mins of playing time and totaled 3 dimes for the contest. He knocked down 9 of 18 in this contest for a rate of 50.0%, and added 5 rebounds.

Rutgers has a win-loss mark of 13-14 this year. The Scarlet Knights are committing 17.1 personal fouls every game and they go 71.2% from the free throw line. They are dishing out assists 12.9 times per contest (239th in college hoops) and they are turning it over 11.0 times per game. Rutgers has tallied 2,053 points on the year (76.0 per game) and they average 36.0 rebounds per game. On the offensive side of the court, the Scarlet Knights are hitting on 44.4% from the field, which is 204th in the nation.

The Scarlet Knights on defense are ranked 296th in college in points per game surrendered with 75.9. They are able to force 11.8 TO's per game and allow teams to shoot 45.4% from the field (274th in college). The Rutgers defense allows 34.7% on shots from behind the 3-point line (217 of 626) and their opposition knocks down 69.4% of their free throw shots. They relinquish 14.5 dimes and 36.1 rebounds every game, which ranks 294th and 280th in those categories.

Who will win tonight's NCAA game against the spread?

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Rutgers

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